


An Extremely Different Perspective

by xiaoxinxin_wuwu



Category: Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs (2019)
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, OC-centric, girl every full moon, main character is wolf by day, mostly worldbuilding, much monologuing, took a lot of liberties so there is that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiaoxinxin_wuwu/pseuds/xiaoxinxin_wuwu
Summary: What was the Fairy Princess in the beginning of the movie and in the outro like? And how powerful was she to curse them?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope someone reads this. In any case:  
> 1) The recipient of the letter is... well I hope the context provided is understood, especially considering the outro of the movie *wink wolf girl wink*  
> 2) Based on transcript provided on the internet somewhere (which i did not fully read through, just the opening scene where the F7 are introduced)  
> 3) I took creative liberty concerning where the dragon came from....... and many other things. Actually fanfiction is just, creative liberty in general is it not?

The Fearless 7 thought they were saving a princess from a dragon. And then thought that princess was a witch. And then realized she was the Fairy Princess and Extremely Offended.

The account I received from Meg had only one common understanding with that report and it was, yes, she was Extremely Offended.

Thus, her letter began as follows:

> _"My Dearest Annaliese, I know you will not be expecting a letter at this time because you are still in your "wolf phase" as we now call it._
> 
> _However._
> 
> _I am grieved to the utmost. The egg I found in the wildlands had a mother_.
> 
> (Here, splotches of ink were scattered, making the wording of the following paragraph quite confusing to read)
> 
> _HOx xxS I SxxPOxxD Tx xxOW A MxxxER xxISxxD? Ix xMELxxx xxx xAY OVxx xND CAxx WITH FIxx. I h__ __ cho___ but __ call the Fea_____ __ven! Bef___ ___ (series of unintelligible scratches)
> 
> (Remarks post-reading, she meant to emphasize her surprise at the mother arriving at her kingdom. And so, had been forced to consult the 'Fearless 7' who we have both heard of and talked about before. She still sent the letter instead of rewriting it because she thought it'd be funny to trick me into figuring anything she wrote out. Note: her interpretation of that whole paragraph was to summarize her 'grief' and 'pain'.)
> 
> _And so they had arrived, mercenary and attracting attention of course. I have always thought people from the Eastern Border of Fairy Tale Island were strange, but I didn't expect them to be rude!_
> 
> _I had fallen in battle, as one was apt to after being knocked over by a humongous dragon (yes, the egg I had got was apparently a dragon egg) and after the battle that ended surprisingly quickly (I have to admit they have some method of skill, no matter their personality)_
> 
> _Do you want to know what happened after?_
> 
> _Well, I'll still tell you even if you haven't the slightest interest. **THE BLUE ONE ZAPPED ME**. Without the slightest bit of observation, or even casual questioning._
> 
> _I'm the contractor, understand?!_ (Here there was a worn underline, like it had been scratched to its limit) _What is this disrespect! Even common mercenaries have some level of decency to their employers, but these guys?_
> 
> _And they have the nerve to call themselves heroes?!_
> 
> _I know I don't get out much, but this is too!!!_ (And I was amused to discover a small puncture that indicated a broken quill feather)
> 
> _Their reputations are overly embellished. I only started hearing rumors about them around 6 months ago if I'm not mistaken._
> 
> (She really didn't get out much. I've heard word of the Fearless 7 even earlier than six months prior to this letter. Oh well.)
> 
> _Imagine, I actually heard that they had reached VIP guest status on that one birthday party. Who was it again? What madness._
> 
> _In any case, I'm never hiring them again._
> 
> _I know you won't be able to reply at present, so I'll await the usual date of course._
> 
> _Royally Yours, Melodia."_

When I first met Meg… well… We certainly hated each other's guts for a good part of our acquaintanceship, before it gradually formed into something one could call _friendship_.

The really important thing to note though, was that she really pulled through when my stepmother cursed me.

* * *

"And you just _drank_ it?! What in the name of everything magical—"

My friend, Princess Melodia Eleanore of the Grail Kingdom, had looked down on me with an expression that said: _I know you are smarter than this. This shouldn't have happened._

She had her eyes trained onto me and I felt more than slightly uncomfortable.

"Didn't we already go over this?" I growled. "I still say that in _my_ defense, Moria held nothing of substance in her brain. I didn't think she would be dumb enough to pull this off in public!"

Actually, no one would seriously try to pull off a _cursing_ in the middle of a ball that had a bunch of witnesses right? Especially if the person you were trying to curse was the supposed reason for the ball. _Right?!_

Even most of the cursed princesses I knew back home had been cursed with subtlety! _Subtlety!_

Melodia Eleanore of the Grail Kingdom, who I called Meg for short, practically slapped me with her deadpanned expression, red lips flattened into a straight line.

"You should stop assuming everyone here actually cares about subtleties. There exists a line, and it's the division between beautiful people and normal people." She stated dramatically, as she waved her arms around madly.

"I can't believe you can tell me that with a straight face."

"That's because you're normal Annaliese. I am part of the echelon of beauty! My skin is positively glowing today."

It was indeed glowing. And very green. Very healthy skin indeed. _Aren't you just insulting normal people? Including me?!_

I was miffed.

"Alright, _fine_ , I'll stop with my assumptions okay?" 

I coughed to cover up my giggle as Meg was tossing her blonde hair around.

"Just... can you whip me an antidote? That's the whole reason why I'm here."

Meg sighed, shaking her luscious locks.

"I can't. Simple as the fact I don't know what ingredients exactly Moira used... and I need to observe you before I can give you anything."

I groaned, and laid myself on the floor, curling my body. I covered my eyes with my newly grown appendage. _Oh my god. I had a tail. A furry tail._

"Well... one good thing is that everyone thinks you're a runaway?"

I lifted my former hand, turned... _furry_ limb appendage over my eyes and down again.

"....like that's better than being turned into an animal for an undetermined amount of time." I huffed under my breath.

"Well, Moria knows the truth. I'm assuming that for the gossip to spread this quickly, she had framed you or something similar. If your father knew—"

"He knows."

Meg became quiet. _Like it totally wasn't an open secret that my own dad didn't like me_.

I looked up at Meg avoiding her questioning eyes.

"At present, I need to figure this out first. I can't deal with them as I am now." I felt myself grimace, then I tried for a grin. "So Princess Melodia Eleanore of the Grail Kingdom. This subject has no place to call home. Won't you accept me as a familiar-in-training or the like?"

Meg coughed delicately avoiding my eyes.

"Actually... I already have a familiar," she smiled brightly, before patting something behind her. It was a large egg. Very large.

"She'd be jealous if she had to share." Meg whispered loudly.

"Then where am I going to go?" I leapt to my feet, worriedly. "You're the most eccentric princess with the most accepting group of rational citizens!"

"Thank you." She looked momentarily touched. "However, I really can't afford to house you here. If it were discovered—"

I scoffed. "Are you serious? At worst, she would let word out that I was cursed. She still wants to paint it like a runaway situation, where it's all cleanly on my initiative. Cursing implies a culprit, and everyone saw me drink from the cup she gave me."

"Clearly, you're still underestimating that woman!" She interjected.

"You rushed here so quickly," Meg began to explain her train of thought. "Moira would know I'm the one nearest your kingdom who can do any magic and want to help you. She would come here in no time."

"I doubt that they're looking for me. Even if they were, my current appearance wouldn't match anything similar to a human face."

"That doesn't mean she won't have eyes watching. You escaped too fast for her, I think. The rumors were too perfectly in place. And, whether it's a consolation or not, your existence means that there will always be a competitor in line for the inheritance."

"You can't mean she wants me—"

"Dead? It's not impossible." Meg shrugged. "I told you, don't assume things."

If the animal I've become could pale, I would have had enough ammo to make anyone pity my pallid form.

"Can't we just assume she's too braindead to actually scheme that far? This could all be a series of mishaps. I mean, there were a lot of people at my ball. Moira probably announced my disappearance right after that evening."

Meg shook her head, lost in thought.

"Well, if this was some long drawn out way to keep me from staying here—"

"Hah! Like I'd actually waste my valuable brain cells on useless things like that." Meg smiled, but there was a serious air around her.

"Don't worry. I've thought of a place. It's far from here, but I can teleport you there. And... it should be safe enough. I can visit you every so often."

Now I really was relieved. I showed my gratefulness by leaping at her instinctively. Unfortunately, my animal brain had equated "hugs" as "throws" and crashed into Meg.

Thankfully, the egg's shell was hard. However, the table it was sitting on collapsed a bit.

"Ah, sorry," I said, getting off her sheepishly. "Are you okay?"

She got up, and turned around to inspect the damage. Her face turned dark, seeing the crater the egg had caused, as well as the drawer that had been shaken out of the table.

"Good thing my baby is okay, or else I _never_ would have forgiven you." She grabbed the egg, cradling it protectively.

"The table can be fixed up later," She nodded towards me. "Let's go and get you out of here."

* * *

So here I was.

The place I was currently residing in was one of Meg's boarding school friend's properties. I'm not sure if it was the land or the house. However, it was a quaint place... with lots of magic protection.

It was surrounded by a forest. After a period of observation, and of careful hiding, Meg and I decided that my step-mother could not find me and would not bother.

A discovery we made during this time: During certain phases of the moon, I could assume my original human form, with a skin of fur lying atop me. That was also under the condition I was under moonlight.

Meg had deduced that it was an old and obsolete curse, making it _that_ much harder to find an antidote. At the same time, it made things simpler. From what modern day magic practitioners understood, " _true love's kiss"_ was a perfect antidote to any curse should there be no true cure.

(Meg seemed almost manic at the thought of finding me suitors. I tried to remind her I was still an animal. Some of them might instinctually try to kill me at first glance.)

So, that was the only time I could hold things properly and pen letters back to Meg.

Most of the time I was in the form of a wolf.

I didn't want to think about it, but I did learn how to eat raw meat. It... well I'm not going to describe it. I swear on my honor that, to my knowledge, nothing I've eaten was ever human.

The letter I had penned during the full moon following Meg's surprise letter, was as follows:

> "My dear Meg,
> 
> And here I shall insert all the words in the dictionary that can describe your beauty and wit, and other such adjectives.
> 
> I knew that egg would be trouble ever since it replaced my job as your potential familiar. I know that it wouldn't have worked anyway, because I am truly human and not a real wolf, but the ruse would have been so perfect!
> 
> But truly, having a dragon egg is too much don't you think?
> 
> You and I both know dragon's are not just animals; they have a society. A familiar requires the consent of family. And you just defeated the mother in combat!
> 
> I am utterly confused with your… methods. 
> 
> Your contempt for the Fearless Seven seems to me a breath of fresh air; the village-folk here, at least the ones of the night, all hold some sort of over glorified account of their asses being handed to them by the F7.
> 
> I'm sure the day-time folk would agree, except in the opposite. Being saved by the F7.
> 
> The local beauties of the area are very much in love with them, according to gossip and reports.
> 
> I've seen some portraits going around. They certainly aren't in the normal side of people, no?
> 
> By the by, there have appeared many 'distressing' reports about their 'disappearance' and seeing as your letter preceded these rumors, and that they have cropped up by a fortnight's time, I assume you did something to them.
> 
> No one's incredibly worried yet, but the more hysterical fans who 'can't live without knowing where and when and what's happening' to their precious boys are in a paranoid state of mind.
> 
> And mind _you_ , hysterics are hard to avoid, especially in the night. I'm blaming you if I accidentally get caught up in, who knows what.
> 
> Signed Annaliese."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) So... you know the Fairy Princess who the F7 saved but thought was a witch but was actually a princess? This is my take on her. I sort of tried to flesh out her character indulging in the fact her characterization was minimal. Since there didn't seem to be any information about her being on a curse I kind of interpreted that to mean she was like Gwen (the MC of Cursed Princess Club on Webtoon) in the sense that she's just... looked that way her whole life as far as canon is concerned. (me reading when Season 2 comes: sike! Gwen may actually be cursed! so this whole train of thought may have been actually useless but not really?)  
> 2) I really like the idea of a different version of Morgan le Fay (I mean thats an actual fairy! right there!) being "saved" by the F7 according to canon, but in her perspective it's all different.  
> 3) Grail Kingdom as in Holy Grail? get it ahahahhaha ~~idk even if these references make sense~~  
>  4) also i may or may not have been more than a little inspired by the Cursed Princess Club hahahah  
> 5) The idea of 'skins' really appeals to me considering the many samples we have in fairytale literature. Consider: a cloak of feathers that can transform a lady into a swan, or selkies in Scottish mythos.  
> 6) On that note, this "wolf girl" is one of the creative liberties I took.


	2. Some Personal Details

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically a background of who Annaliese is, where she came from, etc.
> 
> And, how she met Snow :)

Once upon a time, in a land across the ocean, a baby princess was born. Her birth should have brought joy to many. However, on that day none could have foretold what the King would say...

"What kind of a baby is this? Look at those wrinkles, those eyes! She's completely average!"

The King apparently did not know that all newborn children looked as such. Highly disappointed, he waved the babe away and blamed his genetics. As one of the relatives of Prince Ah-vur-Ahj (Average), he supposed it wasn't unreasonable.

He held no love for an unpretty daughter, however.

Growing up, Princess Annaliese was put into all sorts of "beautification" rituals. There was no effort spared on her poor mother's part, as she tried to convince her husband that Annaliese was decidedly "not average". After all, years of trying ended in disappointment. They could no longer bear any more children.

When Annaliese was at the tender age of 13, her mother died. Although she had been healthy in the year of Annaliese's birth, she had steadily been getting weaker and weaker. Before she died, she had one thing to say to her daughter. 

"You are the best princess," she sighed. "The most wonderful. I could not have been any less blessed to have you as my daughter."

Annaliese was sure her mother was trying to make her feel better, so she kept quiet.

When she cried after the funeral, safely hidden in her quarters, she thought that it was good her mother was gone now. Her mother always tried and did comfort her... but there was no one who could love and care for her mother. Not in the capacity her mother wanted or needed.

Time passed as it pleased, and the King decided to go across the water once more, back to his homeland.

A place Annaliese had only heard of, but never seen with her own eyes.

_The Fairy Tale Islands._

* * *

_Well, not exactly._

My father, King Absalom of the Sequin Colonies Beyond the Water, was once known as Second Prince Absalom of the Pearl Kingdom. 

The Pearl Kingdom was part of a series of different Kingdoms, all of which made up the country they all unanimously called Fairy Tale Island.

_How else did you suppose that **that** many princesses and princes existed all in one place without trying to take over each others land?_

Because Absalom was young and ambitious, he went beyond the water to rule over a colony. This colony was like the backend of a dirty river when he had first come. Seeing it as it is now, it is no wonder the citizens are content.

My royal tutor from the mainland had told me from beyond his high nose that my father had improved it by leaps and bounds.

However it might have been a "colony" in name, it was truly Absalom's kingdom in his own right. There might have been homage and lip-service paid, but everything in the Sequin Colonies was owned by my father. He was a thorough man, when he wanted to be.

I had a status nearly like one of a princess.

My father... was a great man to many people. And I once thought the same.

I didn't think that even great men would have weaknesses, and so, I never expected that he would want to leave the place my mother died. Where the woman he used to love rested.

 _He would respect her memory this much wouldn't he?_ I had thought to myself. Oh how the times have changed.

But perhaps his daily tirade of my face never improving to look like my mother's face should have let me on to it. My father had one weakness, and that was _beauty_.

Two years after the passing of my Mother, fifteen-year old Annaliese would figure it out.

Father would have continued to rule the Sequin Colonies until the end of his days, if not for the calling of his homeland, the Pearl Kingdom. Or at least, that was my assumption.

My father, having single-handedly increased the economy of the Sequin Colonies, was called (pleaded) to become a regent at the death of his brother. 

My uncle had been careless. At least, that was my opinion. Otherwise, how could he have died without a true heir?

There was trouble in finding a proper heir, and in an effort to _not_ have Prince Average as the next nearest heir in line for the land of the Pearl Kingdom—

Well. My "ambitious" father could not say no to such an offer now could he?

He agreed.

Fifteen year-old Annaliese was very much against moving back. At the time, it was too soon for me to leave my mother's grave unattended. I had thought it too soon for my father as well.

Father left me for a total of 7 months in the capital when a new summons came. The King had found a new woman to wed and Princess Annaliese was required to attend.

* * *

_That, my friends, was the beginning of all the trouble..._

On the wedding day, the woman seemed nice enough. Of course, I wasn't looking for a new mother; no one could replace her after all. But I had hoped my father would be able to have something else apart from... well work and me to focus on.

Who knew that this, beautiful, incredibly stylish lady, had a daughter of her own? And that this daughter was as beautiful and incredibly stylish as she was?

The fact was, Father very much liked them.

The whole castle in the Pearl Kingdom liked them.

So I could not understand then why they had developed an attitude towards my existence. They were well-liked, and they had all the prestige they could possibly want. Now that Father was king, anyway.

Then again, I was officially of First Princess status. And, the idea that I would be inheriting things they would not must have partly been an incentive.

It started with the parties.

My new step-mother needled father into letting her bring me along to "tea-parties" and "societies" with the purpose of being more connected with the mainland nobility.

He considered it helping me. She considered it opportunities to _not_ teach and help me. 

I commited many a faux pas. I was going on sixteen, homesick and tired, and I missed _understanding_ things. At least in the colonies, things weren't like this.

Whispers trailed my path.

 _Uncouth_.

_Backwards._

_Look at that face! Poor child, she won't be able to find a husband easily._

_Clearly whoever raised her had no idea what they were doing!_

Society was looking at someone in the face and being civil while turning around and saying the worst possible things. 

It was terrible.

My father's new wife propagated many of the rumors, on the pretense that I was very dumb and would not figure it out. I was not. I just couldn't muster up the will to care.

My father's new daughter was incredibly sharp at ostracizing me, totally defeating the purpose of even going to these social events.

I didn't even know if Father knew what his new wife was saying about my mother.

At some point, I had given up in between his selective hearing and the weariness I felt in my bones. In that first year of being the new and unfamiliar princess, I had spent most of it hiding in hedges of gardens.

There was always a certain time given to the exercise of "walking" and walk I did. I walked and I hid. Sometimes, I cried.

The one time I had been caught was the first time I felt true connection on the mainland.

* * *

"So I guess you're new to these kinds of events huh,"

I felt my face flush. I didn't think I would be caught in a place this hidden. Embarrassed, I buried my face into my arms longer.

"Hey, it's alright," the voice continued soothingly. "I'm not here to judge. Ah... I used to come here too. Kind of my favorite hiding spot. Think you've got room to share?"

I bit my lip. This was so embarrassing. I couldn't bear to let my tear streaks be made known, so I shuffled sideways a bit more. 

Unexpectedly, a warmth comfortably pressed against my side. I blinked and looked up to see a girl with the softest smile and most beautiful eyes. 

She looked at me for a minute before rummaging through her skirt. She slowly pulled out a handkerchief. 

"I hope you don't mind," she said with a small laugh. "It's clean. A little bit rumpled but, it should do the trick."

"Um. Thanks." I said lamely. As she passed the cloth to me, I could feel how soft her palms were and how warm.

I remember that she reminded me of my own mother.

"I don't usually like attending balls," she chatted, seemingly comfortable with me. Who was feeling supremely awkward. "But Papa wants me to get along with more people."

Compelled by the need to reply and the realisation I could, in fact, say something of substance I said, "you and me both."

"Your father too?"

"Yeah. He's convinced that if I attend enough of these sorts of events, I'll somehow obtain more beauty by association."

"Oh wow. My Papa just wants me to have more friends."

I smiled bitterly. I couldn't claim to understand my father at all.

"What's your name?" She asked kindly. "I think we can both hang out together, if we both happen to meet."

"Uh. I-I'm Anna- I mean, Princess Annaliese of the Sequin Kingdom," I stuttered. 

Her smile was brilliant.

"I'm Princess Snow, of the White Kingdom."

Thus was the birth of a beautiful friendship under the hedge of a garden in some noble's house.

My experiences started getting better, at a very slow pace.

Snow lived far, far away. I found out that the White Kingdom was in the far Northwest, passing by some mountains and some lakes and some forests. The parties where she was present as a guest weren't as excruciating, I had discovered. Even if they were few and far in-between.

Apparently Snow was a social pariah herself, although it was very quickly obvious that it was not because she let the society affect her, but because it was her own choice to set herself apart.

"I mean, the Southern court is really beautiful," I remember her saying to me once. "The people in it? Are not. And it's really hot here too."

"I guess you're not a coastal kind of person then," I remarked. 

Truthfully, the only thing I liked about this Pearl Kingdom was the bay and the harbor. Sometimes, if the day was clear and cloudless, I could see the Sequin Colonies at a distance. 

I began a habitual morning walk to watch the sun rise above my home before going back to the castle.

It was after one of these walks, during a party Moria was hosting, that I spent time with Snow. It was her first time in the kingdom and I wanted to show her around, hence her disposition.

"Probably not," she agreed with a laugh. "I enjoy the woods a lot more."

"I can see that. Well, I can only ask for your guidance then."

"I'll have a tour set up for you when you come to visit me," she promised, with a twinkle in her eyes. The apples of her cheeks were flushed with the heat and humidity and I didn't know that it would be the last time I saw her for a very, very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been deliberating because this was sitting in my drafts waiting to be edited and... yeah. Um.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) So... you know the Fairy Princess who the F7 saved but thought was a witch but was actually a princess? This is my take on her. I sort of tried to flesh out her character indulging in the fact her characterization was minimal. Since there didn't seem to be any information about her being on a curse I kind of interpreted that to mean she was like Gwen (the MC of Cursed Princess Club on Webtoon) in the sense that she's just... looked that way her whole life as far as canon is concerned. (me reading when Season 2 comes: sike! Gwen may actually be cursed! so this whole train of thought may have been actually useless but not really?)  
> 2) I really like the idea of a different version of Morgan le Fay (I mean thats an actual fairy! right there!) being "saved" by the F7 according to canon, but in her perspective it's all different.  
> 3) Grail Kingdom as in Holy Grail? get it ahahahhaha ~~idk even if these references make sense~~  
>  4) also i may or may not have been more than a little inspired by the Cursed Princess Club hahahah  
> 5) The idea of 'skins' really appeals to me considering the many samples we have in fairytale literature. Consider: a cloak of feathers that can transform a lady into a swan, or selkies in Scottish mythos.  
> 6) On that note, this "wolf girl" is one of the creative liberties I took.


End file.
